Creel



Sept. 4, 1934.

F. H. BISHOP CREEL Filed Jun? 2?. 1931 2 sheets-sheet -l Tzvenvr WM GIGV F. H. BISHOP Sept. 4, 1934.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 27. 19.31

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Patented Sept. 4, 1934 Unirse STATES CREEL Frederick H. Bishop, Quincy, Mass., assigner toy Universal Winding Company, Boston, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application July 27, 1931, Serial No. 553,294

16 claims. (Ciara- 131) The present invention relates to creeling devices, Vand more particularly to creeis having special adaptation for the delivery of yarn in package form to a Warp beam or the like. Y

According to the common and Ygenerally prevailing practice, the warps are previously wound upon headed spools and withdrawn therefrom for delivery to a Warp beam. Due to the presence of the heads, delivery of the warp yarn from the spool is invariably in a direction normal to the axis of rotationv and tangential to the peripheral suriace of the yarn package. The wound spools, which may average 400 to 60o innumber, are individually loosely supported on trunnions andare rotatedby the tension of the yarnV in process of winding upon the warp i beam. Due to theconsiderable number of IWarp? yarns Ysimultaneously wound, and the fact that tension upon individual warp ends varies in accordance with the diameter of the yarn package on the spool, the rate of winding according to this method is inevitably retarded, and ordinarily the yarn cannot be successfully removed at a rate greater than 65 to 'I0 yards per minute. Aside fromA the inherent limitation upon the rate of winding, the yarn capacity of the spools is limited, which increases the frequency of doffing and as a result limits the production of the operator. I

Certain suggestions have beenv made which contemplate the winding of the yarn on headless packages in conical or cylindrical form, and the Withdrawal of the yarn from these packages inA a direction generally aligned with the axis of rotation of the yarn package. The purpose and object of these constructions is to permit con-l tinuous warping through automaticv replenishment of the yarn package upon exhaustion. They do provide, in addition, for a higher speed of winding operation than is Apossible of attainment with the familiar type of spool. Onfthe other hand, these constructions are not adapted for the winding of single Warp beams where the size and character of the yarn is frequently changed, nor do they avoid therrcommonv defect of all previous creeling apparatus due to the accumulation of lint upon .thejsurface ofthe package, with the probability that this accumulation, either large or small, will be picked up by the warp strand in process of winding and incorporated in the finished product as a defect.

It is the purpose and object of the present invention to provide a relatively simple I' and. highly Vecient form of creeling device whichk may be readily set up, that is, supplied with its complement of filled yarn packages, and which may be operated with'any number of yarn packages at a high rate,V of .speed, With aKA uniform tension, and with a freedom from accumulation of lint or foreign matter on the packages `themselves. facilitate and simplify the dofngand replenishment of a complement of' yarn "pauikages oncompletion of a given beam winding'operation.-

With these and other objects linview, I propose to wind the yarn supply-,in the vform of a` conical or cylindrical package, preferably conical, Y'

upon a headiess spindleor vthe like.l I mount this wound yarn package, in. an inverted position upon acreeling device having a sufficient number of supports to accommodate the nrunber of yarn packages in process of winding. so arranged withlrespectfto the package'that the yarn is withdrawn from the package downwardly and in a generally axial direction, the

package being in the meantime held stationary,`

eral surface by this'strand, is substantially elim-f inated.k In addition,Y Ipropose to reducethe possibility'of accumulation upon the peripheral surface of the packageby. providing each package with aprotective cover extending thereover Y inav manner to shield the package and collect any lint which mayjdrop from above by gravity.

It is a further object ofthe invention to.

A`iarn guides arer `I provide for the convenient dolng of the packages vupon completion of the winding oper-ation through vsuitablemechanism designed to simultaneously release and discharge all or a portion of. thepackagesupon manipulation of a suitable control. In addition to facilitating the doing of the exhausted packages, the support.-l .l 0

ing spindles of the creel remain in a position convenient for the application of full yarn packages by the operator. a I

Still further features of the invention consist in certain novel features of construction, combinations and arrangements of parts hereini after described and claimed, the advantages ofV which Will be obvious to thoseskilled inthe art from the following description y In the accompanyingdrawings illustrating the preferred form of the invention, Fig. 1 reprelio' sents a front elevation of a creel with the upper screen removed; Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the creel shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a section upon the line 3 3 of Fig. 1, illustrating upon an en- 5 larged scale the support for the packages and the position of the parts in process of dofling and replenishment; and Fig. 4is a'detail illustrating the relationship of the parts after dofflng and replenishment, but before return of the controlling mechanism to initial position for further doffng.

The creeling apparatus shownin the illustrated embodiment of the invention obviously may have provision for any desired number of yarn packages. For simplicity, however, `the illustrated embodiment is confined to six packages disposed in two rows of three packages each. Obviously, the number of rows or the number of packages in each row can be varied as desired without modifying the theory of the invention. v

As indicated, the Acreel may be provided with av supporting frame indicated generally at lo, and having oppositely disposed uprights 12 connested'. by generally transverse supports 14. The

' yarn packages, whichY may be indicated at 16,

are Wound upon conical supports 18 to provide a generally conical package with the YWound yarn traversing from end to end thereof in a manner familiar to those skilled in the art. The creeling apparatus is provided with a series of depending f supports in the nature of stationary spindles 20,`

each of which, as 'indicated` in Fig. 3, is threadedly mounted inra head l22. The heads with the supporting spindles arejdisposed upon a rock shaft 2,4, and'maintained' iniproper `spaced relato be presently described. Thek head is normally tionship by collars 26. Each head with its supporting spindle has provision for a limited movement with respect to the shaft through the provision of the enlarged opening 28 for a purpose supporting spindle to the doiflng position shownv in dottedv lines. The conicalwinding support "'18is. provided with a bore-10, which is'received Jmore particularly in Fig. 3, application of the cone 18 to the spindle ina lengthwise direction over the spindle 2'0 and withl an annular recess 42 in the enlarged end,-which is engaged by the out-turned end 44 by a spring latch 46 secured to the side of the head 22' at 48.v As indicated causesv the insertion of the latch 46 within the recess and the holding of the wound 'cone thereon in an inverted position.

Each rock shaft 24 is provided at one end with an arm 50, the two arms being interconnected by a link 52 to cause them to operate in` unison. At the completion of the winding operation and exhaustion of the yarn packages, the shafts are `rocked through manual operation of a yhand lever 54 to simultaneously project the supports 20 and cones 18 thereon from the vertical position shown in Fig. 3 to the inclined ordofling position shown therein. This movement to 'doiiing position is controlled by xed stops 60 in the form of bars extending transversely across the machine, and designed tov simultaneously'engage With'and release the spring latches 46, per- `rnitting the cones 18 tordrop from the spindles by gravity. The exhausted or partially exhausted cones are conveniently received and collected upon dofng by a receptacle 62 in the form of a screen surface 64 supported by curved arms 66 which are attached to the frame at 68 and are connected at their inner ends to shafts 70. As will be indicated, these receptacles are in a position to receive and collect the cones delivered from theinclined spindles, and for this purpose extendlengthwise of the machine beneath each row of packages, as indicated more particularly in Fig. 1. For the purpose of facilitatingfbreaking of ends on the doffed packages, all of these packages are caused to lie upon the screen surfaces extending in the same direction. To this yend the screens are provided with a series of deilector members '71, each in the form of an inverted V, as shown in Fig. 2, and disposed slightly at one side of the cone in a manner to engage the'large end of the cone package and deflect the package into the position shown .generally in Fig. l, where thecperator may readily engage and break the end and tie it into the corresponding end of the new package.

After the exhausted packages have been doffed by movement into an inclined position and discharged by gravity, a new package may be conveniently applied to the spindle 20 .in its forwardly extended inclined position. The application of this package when theghead of the cone is pushed upwardly thereon tends to move the supportingv head l22 with relation to the rock shaft sufficiently to disengage the set screw from the `-eceiving notch. This disengagement permits aslight movement of the spindle suiicient to allow 'engagement of the latch withl the recess in .the head'of the cone, when thereafter release of the package permits the entire assembly' to return by gravity into approximately the vertical inverted position shown in Fig. 3. This restorationA lto vertical inverted position takes place individually aseach cone package is applied. Thereafter the rock shaft may be returnedV to its initialvposition, causing all of the setscrews 30 to re-engage with the corresponding notches and restore the parts to the position shown inFig. 3 in readiness `for the next succeeding doiiing operation. l

` It will'be evident from the foregoing description that the yarn during its withdrawal from the headless package extends generally axially or ,inv the direction of lengthY of the package in a downward direction, first passingbeneath the rod '70 and thereafter being engaged by a tension 72 of conventional form. From the tension device the yarn is conducted to the warp beamer other tension device uponwhich it is to be wound. d 'o y It is important in all operations ofthis type that 'the surface ofthe yarn package shall be maintained free of lint and accumulations of dust and dirt, Yas otherwise this lint iswiped olf by the warp strand as .it whips aboutthe periphery., of `the package, collected thereon, and

eventuallyv carriedinto the inished material. ii

This accumulationy of lint according to the present `inventionis eliminated through the provision of a protective shield 74, having the general form ofr an inverted cup extending completely over the` top of the cone package and downwardly to enclose the upper portion. This cup-shaped shield is attached to a supporting disk '76 which, in turn, is clamped between Ythe spindle 20 and the headj22, as indicated particularly in Fig. 3,

this providing a convenient method of :attachment for the protective shield on each Spindle mounting. As also indicated in Fig. 3, the shield is rovided with an opening 78 through which the latch i6` projects, and suiiiciently large to ermit necessary ,movements of the latchV in locking and releasing the cone. Not only does the shield completely encompass the upper portion of the cone-shaped package, but -in addition, due to the fact that the package tapersinwardly, toward its lowermost portion, the'possibiiity of collection `of flying: lint below ,the shield is substantially avoided. Although the shield serves the protective function of preventing accumulation uponrthe package, nevertheless it affords suiiicient clearance about the up- 1 er portion of the package to avoid any engagement of the warp strand thereby due to its movement in unwinding from the package.

lt wili be self-evident that the exhausted yarn receptacles when doffed from the supporting spindles are discharged into the receiving tray immediately therebeneath, `and extending Vin front of the machine. In this position the yarn strand extends from the exhausted' package directly to the tension device, and is conveniently available for retying. 1n practice the operator mayl be provided with a carrier (not shown) which is provided with a supply of cones and pegs sufcient to fill one side` of the creeling device. After the exhausted packages have been ejected from the Creel holder, the` operator removes a full cone from the carrier, places it in position on the support, and after latchingallows it to drop down into the vertical position for tying in; breaking the end of' the yarn adjacent the tip of the exhausted package, a knot is tiedconnecting the fresh package with the yarn strand in processof winding. Thecompletely emptied or partially emptied package may then be placed upon the peg from ywhich theV full cone was removed. Obviously this mode oi' operation is contemplated `only in those cases where more than one yarn receptacle is necessary to provide a supply kfor continuous winding. In many cases the yarn receptacle would contain aV supply at least sufficient to provide for the cone winding operation, as each yarn package is capable on the average of supplying two warp beams, whereas the average creel spool contains only sufficient yarn supply for a single warp beam, approximately one-half as much.

,it will be evident to those skilled in the art that the above-described construction provides a simple and. exceedingly effective form of creeling mechanism from which the yarn may be unwound and delivered at high speedvwith a uniform tension on each yarn strand, with a minimum possibility of accumulation and collection of, lint, and with a relative ease of doffing and replenishment of exhausted supply Vwhich makes the device particularly well suited for warp winding operations where the warp, supply must frequently be changed between the winding of successive Warp beams.

The term exhausted package is employed merely for descriptive purposes to define a package ready for dofng, and it is to be clearly understood that this term is not intended as necessarily descriptive of the condition of the `package with relation to the yarn supply when age therefore means merely a package theuseful function of which has been exhausted and which is incondition for dofling.v

What is claimed is:

.-1.,A creel'comprising aplurality of supports.

designedk to individually. retain a plurality of yarn packages in substantially vertical inverted position, means for delivering a yarn strand downwardly from the package, a. protective shield associated with the support and projecting over theyarn package when mounted thereon, means associated with the support for detachably latching the yarn package thereto, and means for releasing the latch to permit the discharge of the package by gravity from beneath latch to permit the discharge ofthe package by gravity from therebeneath. 1

3. A creel comprising an inverted support, an inverted cup-shaped Y.shield secured to the support, a latch mounted upon the support and extending downwardlythrough the shield, a yarn package receivedupon thelsupport and engaged bythe latch, `means for rocking theV support from a vertical inverted position toY an inclined doffing position, and means for engaging the latch upon removal of an inclined dofling position to actuate the latch and release the yarn package by' gravity from beneath the shield. Y

4. A creel comprising `a plurality ofdownwardlyk extending.y yarn-supporting `members adapted to receive an inverted package deiivered thereto,` means yfor latching` the inverted. ,package in place on the support, means for guiding yarn withdrawn therefrom, and manually con'- trolled means for simultaneously releasing aV series of latches to discharge yarn packages therefrom.

5. A creel comprising a plurality of permanently downwardly extending yarn-supporting members adapted to receivean inverted package delivered thereto, means for latching the inverted package in place on the support, means for guiding yarn withdrawn therefrom, and means for simultaneously moving yarn supports from winding to dofng position and discharging yarn packages therefrom.

6. A creel comprising a series of permanently dependent yarn supports, means for' mounting the supports to rock from a substantially vertical or winding position into an outwardly inclined dofiing position, means for latching yarn packages upon the supports in inverted position, means for simultaneously releasing the latches upon movement of the supports from winding to dofiing position, and means permitting re-engagement of individual latches upon application of a fresh yarn package to the accompanying dependent support.

7. A creel comprising a series of inverted yarn supports, means for mounting the supports to rock from a winding position into an outwardly inclined do'ing position, means for latching individual yarn packages upon the supports, an abutment for simultaneously releasing the latches upon movement of the supportsY from Winding to dofng position, and manually controlled means permitting ire-engagement of the latches. 1

8. A creel comprising a seriesof permanently dependent yarn supports, means 4for mounting the supports to rock from a windingpositioninto an outwardly inclined dofling position,'rneans for individually latching inverted yarn packages upon the supports, means .for shielding the packages so mounted, and means for simultaneously releasing the latches upon movement of the supports from Winding to domngpositon.

9. A creel comprising a series of inverted yarn supports, an umbrella shield connected with each support, means extending through the shield for'latching the yarn packagev to the support-beneath the shield, means for guiding the yarn strand in a downward direction away from the package, and means for releasing the exhausted package to drop from the support 'oy gravity.`

l0. A creel comprising a supporting rock shaft, av series of yarn supports depending in spaced relation from the rock shaft rand normally main- I tainedin a vertical inverted position, and means for normally moving the supports into an outwardly extending dofng position on movement of the rock shaft havingcapacity ,for manual disconnection from the `rock shaft' to permit restoration of individual supports to'a normal vertical position.v -f Y v 11. A creel comprising a supporting rock'shaft, a series of yarn supports depending in spaced relationfrom thercck shaft and normally maintained in a vertical inverted position vby gravity,

and connections between the rock shaft and supports for normallyY moving thesupports into an outwardly inclined-cloning position, having provision for lateraimovement of. the support with relation to the rock shaft to release the connection and allow return of the support to normal vertical position. v

12.v A creel comprising a supporting rock' shaft,

a series of' heads loosely received on the rock shaft and having bearing openings larger than the rock shaft to permit lateral movement with yfor simultaneouslymoving the supports vand yarn packages thereon into an inclined doing position and automatically releasing 'the packages to permit discharge in such ra position, and means for individuallyreleasing each latch upon application of a new package to the accompanying support. f

14. A creel comprising a series of supports for receiving andl holding yarn packages-'in inverted f position, and a protective shield associatedwith each support and extending over the upper portion of each yarn package to prevent the accumulation of lintthere'on, `anda latch extending from above the shield 'and .engaging with theyarn package from below.

15. A creel .comprising a support for an'inverte'd yarn package, a .protectiveshield above the support, a guide for leading the yarn strand downwardly fand generally lengthwise of the package upon delivery therefrom, means for moving the support and protective shield into an inclined inverted'doing position, and aV latch 110 for the yarn package .supported from above the shield and released upon movement of the support into an inclined doiing position;

16. A creel comprising a series of supports'for receiving and holding yarn packages in inverted 115 position, means for moving the supports into an inclined dofnng position, means for receiving the packages discharged therefrom, and means for engaging and deflecting the packages in a commondirection during the'doffing operation. 120

' FREDERICK H. BISHOP.

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